Although
the present-day scene bears no comparison to the railways' peak time over 80 years ago -
when, for example, no part of the old county of Glamorgan was more than three miles from a
railhead - there are many places to visit by train, and there is much of interest to see.

Scroll down the page to read the introduction, or select
links to move directly to your topics of interest.

Trevithick 1804-2004
February 21 2004 marked the 200th
anniversary of the first steam train to run on rails. The historic journey
began in Merthyr Tydfil, and throughout 2004, a series of commemorative
events took place.
Look back on the celebrations
here.

The further
north and west you travel the fewer and further apart the stations become. With the exception
of the section skirting Cardigan Bay around to the Lleyn peninsular (27 stations in 57
miles), stations are also wide-spread; the railway consisting basically of a coastal
route in the north and another line which strikes westward across mid Wales before turning
along the Irish Sea coast. A branch along the Conwy Valley and a narrow-gauge
railway links the two, giving the opportunity of a figure-of-eight Grand
Tour of Wales and the Marches.

The Explore Wales Rover tickets
offer eight days' travel throughout Wales, and free or discounted
admission to many attractions including eight preserved railways.

The size and scope of preserved railways in Wales is extremely varied, and
ranges from short lengths of track in urban environments to railways hidden in the lush
valleys of west Wales, or clinging precariously to some of the most spectacular
mountainside in the UK.
Some are embryo railways with no track of their own as yet,
while another has begun to extend its track to reach the site of the highest station in
England and Wales.

In Mid and North Wales, preservation is usually tied up with narrow gauge
railways which once served the slate industry or - in the case of the Snowdon Mountain
Railway - unashamedly targeted the tourist long before tourism became as important an
element in the economy of Wales as it is today.

It is hoped that these pages will prove of worth to the Web surfer, the tourist
planning a stay in Wales, the rail enthusiast, or to anyone with a passing interest in any
combination of the three.